BNP was formed by a group of Somerset West businessmen wanting to engage in some philanthropic role to better the lives of those less fortunate, focusing on the many kids born into poverty with little or no chance of ever improving their chances of a meaningful life.To quote the director of BNP:

“One of the things that we have chosen to do post-retirement is to engage in some philanthropic role to better the lives of those less fortunate, focusing on the many kids born into poverty with little or no chance of ever improving their chances of a meaningful life.

Let me share some background:

Over the past three years, we started a small group of like-minded men, non-religious and non-political. We have grown the group from 12 in 2021 to 208 in February 2024 and counting. The idea behind this initial group was purely for networking, socialising and support after the Covid lockdown. There was no real focus on charity initially, but recently, with 120 golfers attending our golf day, we managed to raise a substantial amount without much effort. The event day was oversubscribed within 3 hours of notifying the group.

The initial intention of the group, and hence the name Boys Night, was to meet once a month. Participation is strong, and we have doctors, wine farm owners, store owners, car salesmen and dealer principals, a retired geologist, lawyers, farmers, entrepreneurs, engineers, and even an aeronautical engineer who designs weapon systems and drones, a former tugboat captain and a marine salvage expert.

We realised along this journey that every one of us understands our mission and wants to play a role in making a difference. There are, however, two main issues:

1. They want to get involved somehow but don’t really know how, and being working men, they often don’t have the time.

2. Many of them are reluctant to be at the rock face, dealing with poverty and the associated trauma that people face in their communities.

And so, we got to thinking: Boys Night could become the conduit for 208 lads who want to make a difference, but all face one or both of the abovementioned challenges.

Enter the group a Dutch chap (Theo) in his early sixties. An engineer by profession, he ran businesses in Europe and SA. Then married a South African and has lived here for 20 years. He was diagnosed with aggressive cancer six years ago, and doctors gave him little chance of survival. He beat cancer, and the experience changed his focus. He developed a passion for altruism and got involved with a significant local charity. Theo has exposed the group to the brutal reality of life in our impoverished communities, some of them within minutes of the affluent areas we are unthinkingly privileged to live in. Theo believes we can grow BNP into a worthwhile platform supporting charities he cannot assist.”

To Supporta, BNP accurately represents the spirit of altruism: The unselfish concern for other people - doing things simply out of a desire to help, not because you feel obligated to out of duty, loyalty, or religious reasons. As such, we are proud to be associated with the organisation.

To make a contribution to Boys Night Projects NPC, click here.